Bitdefender Launches AI-Powered Scam Copilot to Combat Sophisticated Online Fraud

Bitdefender releases new tool to protect your digital life from scams and fraud

Cybersecurity pros Bitdefender want to protect you against AI-powered fraud, and to do that, the team just released a new tool. The tool is called Scam Copilot, and it is designed to spot scam messages and other fraudulent activity built with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). Before Chat-GPT and other AI chatbots, it was relatively easy to spot a scam message. Cybersecurity pros would advise users to watch for inconsistencies in incoming email, chat, and SMS messages, as well as to hunt for spelling and grammar errors - a key element to every phishing email. However, the company is now saying that ever since the introduction of Large Language Models (LLM) to the general public, these techniques no longer suffice. Consequently, there has been a "sharp rise" in scam-related cybercrime, as threat actors use the technology that powers modern AI chatbots to create highly convincing scam messages, at scale. An AI attack also warrants an AI response, the company believes. Hence, the introduction of Scam Copilot, a tool that "proactively monitors for, detects, and alerts users of scams and potential fraud" during browsing, mailing, chatting, and more, the company says. The tool was also said to be constantly learning from experience, meaning it will only get better with time. Besides scanning incoming messages, users can talk to Scam Copilot and ask about alerts, receive best practice guidance, and more. Ultimately, the tool will educate the users and raise awareness about the threats of scams and fraud on the internet. Scam Copilot is now available for Bitdefender Ultimate Security, Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (U.S. only), Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security (U.S. only) and Bitdefender Premium Security with support for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Bitdefender Ultimate Security is the company's all-in-one digital protection suite, and it will set you back at least $99 a month.

Bitdefender's new AI copilot works in real time to protect consumers from online scams - SiliconANGLE

Bitdefender's new AI copilot works in real time to protect consumers from online scams S.C. Bitdefender SRL is looking to extend its cybersecurity protections beyond traditional malware and viruses with the launch of its new Scam Copilot, which is designed to alert users to online scams and fraud. The company said Scam Copilot is being integrated into its digital life protection consumer products, which are best known for defending against threats such as malware, credential stealing and data exfiltration. As with all copilot tools these days, the new offering relies on advanced artificial intelligence algorithms that have been trained to identify both common and not-so-common scams and fraud attempts that are perpetrated against consumers and businesses alike. Bitdefender says AI is necessary to identify such threats, because the bad actors behind them are reliant on AI technology themselves. Increasingly, they're leveraging large language models to create and deploy extremely convincing "phishing" messages in multiple languages. What's more, LLMs allow them to distribute these phishing messages at much greater scale, and more consumers and businesses are falling for them. A recent report by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance highlighted the problem of online fraud, saying that losses from scams totaled more than $1 trillion in 2023. The report said 78% of almost 50,000 survey respondents had experienced at least one scam attempt in the last 12 months. Moreover, Bitdefender's own 2024 Consumer Cybersecurity Assessment Report found an increasing number of scams delivered by text messages, affecting almost half of the 7,000 respondents. To combat these LLM-based scams, Bitdefender's Scam Copilot proactively monitors any device, including personal computers, tablets and smartphones, in an effort to alert their users to scams and other types of fraudulent activities. It monitors all of the favorite channels used by scammers, including web browsers, emails, messaging apps, text messages, social media and more, leveraging Bitdefender's real-time global threat intelligence and AI to continuously learn and update itself as new scams and threats emerge. Scam Copilot provides an advanced chatbot-style experience that allows users to engage with it using their natural language to inquire about any alerts that show up. The chatbot will provide essential guidance to help users stay safe, explain how the scams work and more besides. It can also alert users to newly emerging and trending scam techniques that are impacting users in their specific region, with an explanation of the nature of the campaign, the delivery methods used and the risks, so they know what to look out for. It also provides additional safeguards for high-risk groups such as seniors, children and teens, Bitdefender said. In addition, the Scam Copilot will provide more general advice to users and learning resources in order to educate users about how to interact safely online, the company said. Ciprian Istrate, senior vice president of operations in Bitdefender's Consumer Solutions Group, said it has become more difficult than ever for consumers to safeguard themselves against online threats. "While the term 'scam' may sound innocuous, the consequences are far from trivial, often leading to identity theft, financial and data loss," Istrate said. Bitdefender's Scam Copilot is available now for all Ultimate Security, Ultimate Security Plus, Ultimate Small Business Security and Premium Security customers running Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.